An information storage device, e.g., a CD-ROM drive or the like capable of replacing a disk-type information storage medium (hereinafter referred to simply as “disk” as occasion demands) has been generally used in information processing apparatuses such as personal computers.
Conventional disk replacement methods for information storage devices are roughly divided into two kinds. The first one is a mechanical method in which a user mechanically operates a lid or a drawer-type tray so as to draw out/receive a disk, or expels/takes in a bare disk or a protective case containing a disk, thus performing ejection or loading for replacement of the disk. In the second method, a drawing out/receiving operation on a lid or a drawer-type tray or expelling/taking-in of a bare disk or a protective case containing a disk is electronically performed by operating a switch or the like to perform ejection or loading for replacement of the disk.
With the increase in the disk rotation speed, there has been increasing use of electronic ejection methods of ejecting a disk after stopping the rotation of the disk in most cases of currently-used high-speed CD-ROM drives or the like in particular, in order to decrease the possibility of accidental ejection during disk rotation. Electronic ejection methods enable ejection from or loading into an information storage device when power is supplied to the information storage device but entail a drawback of the impossibility of ejection and loading during power-off.
An information processing apparatus proposed in JP-A-11-149689 has a depression detection device which detects depression of an ejection button or a loading button during power-down of a storage device, a device which supplies power to the storage device by turning on a power supply circuit in response to a button depression detection signal from the depression detection device to operate a loading mechanism, and an expelling/taking-in completion detection device which detects expelling or taking-in of a disk in the storage device in the power-down state and outputs a disk position detection signal. The power supply circuit is turned off after detecting the disk position detection signal. Therefore disk replacement can be reliably performed during power-down of the storage device. The power supply can be completely cut when disk replacement is unnecessary.